Wild Thing
by Skye1963
Summary: An ancient power rises when John and Dean find Sam who had disappeared when he was four.  Even though Dean accepts his baby brother, John must make up his mind whether to hunt Sam or not.


I don't own Supernatural or the boys.

**Wild Thing**

Prelude

_When Sam Winchester was four years old his dad left him with an old friend to go hunting a nest of vampires. Sam's brother Dean had been dropped off at Ellen's because he was sick with chicken pox. John didn't think that anything would happen to his baby since the man he left him with was a hunter. It wasn't until he got back that he found out that he was wrong. _

_John had driven up to his friend's house and parked the Impala in front of the door. He was smiling in anticipation at seeing his youngest son. He loved Sam very much and had missed him. As he got out of the car, he glanced up at the door and froze. The door looked as if it had been smashed into splinters. There were splashes of blood on the porch and door frame. He shook with shock and ran to the door. When he looked in, he saw the body of his friend. The man had been torn to bits. Not just torn, but it looked as if something had been...well…EATING him! John moaned at the thought of what may have happened to Sammy. _

_Slowly, the training he received in the Marines started to snap into place. He forced himself to look at the body parts and found that none of them were small enough for a child. He slowly started to believe that Sam may be okay. May still be in the house, hiding. As he searched the house, his anxiety level started to ratchet up again. There was absolutely no sign of Sam anywhere. No blood, no body, just nothing. After his fruitless search, John sat on the floor crying. He had lost his wife to a demon, now he lost his baby to an unknown killer. He wondered how he was going to tell Dean._

_He knew that his friend, Jason Eagles, would need to be salted and burned. There was too many pieces of the man and so much blood, that John knew that he would need to burn his friend's house. Luckily, Jason lived in a remote forested area of the Colorado Rockies. John would just have to be careful to make sure the fire wouldn't spread and become a forest fire. _

_The next morning found John driving away from the burned out shell of Jason's house. He knew that he would have a very hard time explaining to Dean what happened. He prayed that Dean wouldn't be damaged too much. He loved Sam so very much that it was almost surreal. It seemed that the boys had a bond, a connection that excluded everyone else. At that moment, John's cell rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. Not even looking at who was calling he answered, "Hello, Dean."_

Chapter One-Found

It had been eighteen years since Sam had disappeared. In all that time, his father and brother never gave up trying to find out what happened to him. It was known among the Hunting community that any kind of information pertaining to Jason's death was to be passed to the Winchesters. A couple of hunters heard rumors and decided to not pass it to them. Dean found out and, after breaking a few bones, got the information. The reasons these hunters gave about not passing the information was that it had been rumors, nothing more. Very plausible, unless you were a Winchester. So all information, fact or rumor, was given to them.

When a demon named Crowley came forward with information that the Yellow Eyed Demon was the one who killed Jason; that fueled the Winchesters' hatred for him. It had been the Yellowed Eyed Bastard (as John called him) that had killed Mary Winchester when Sam was just six months old. Crowley also said that the demon had been chased away from the house by a spirit. _That_ didn't seem right. What demon would be afraid of a spirit? What kind of spirit could be that powerful?

John asked his friend, Bobby Singer to look into that. Bobby was known to be able to find even the most arcane information and was very famous for his temper. John knew that and yet made it a challenge that Bobby couldn't pass up. He was right. After some serious research and digging, Bobby came up with an idea. It scared him since he had never known a hunter to come up against this kind of spirit. But all the evidence pointed towards it.

When he was sure, he called John and said one word, "Manitou."

"Manitou? What the hell do you mean?" asked John.

"Manitous are forest spirits. Usually in Algonquian legends but other Native American tribes have a legend about them," Bobby replied, "I never heard of one up by where Sam disappeared, but it could be possible. Not much is really known about them because no hunter I know ever ran into one. Don't know if it's a creature of good or if it's evil. Hell, I wouldn't be able to even guess how to kill one. I do know one thing, it's powerful enough to drive off a demon. That means it has some major mojo going on."

John was silent for a minute. Then he asked the question that was foremost in his heart, "Do you think this Manitou has Sam?"

"I really don't know John. Like I said, not much is said about them in my books. I guess it's possible. It may have heard the ruckus coming from Jason's and went to investigate. I wouldn't doubt that after it drove the demon off, it probably found Sam. Whether Sam is still alive or not, I can't answer that."

John thought for a moment. It had been eighteen years and he and Dean had chased many rumors and sightings. John didn't know if they were up to any more disappointments if this was just a wild goose chase. On the other hand, it did seem to correlate with what Crowley had said. It seemed that this had more of a chance to pan out. He decided to see if Bobby could give him a name of someone that he could talk to that knew about Manitous. Then he would tell Dean and let Dean decide what to do.

Dean was the one who had been hurt when Sam disappeared. The boys had a bond that was established before Sam was born. It had deepened when Mary was killed and Dean took over many of the duties of the "mother" in their broken family. It was Dean who insisted that Sam was still alive and it was Dean who kept the hunt for his baby brother going long after John would have quit. Dean was the one who made all the decisions when it came to Sam.

"Bobby, do you know anyone I can talk to about Manitous? I heard there was a Wendigo in the same area that Sam disappeared. I'd like to talk to someone while I'm there," John asked, wearily.

Bobby sighed and said, "Yeah. I have a distant cousin in the area who knows the legend well. His grandfather was a Shaman who left the reservation a long time ago and settled in the forest. Used to say that it was protected and a holy place. I'll text you his address and call him to let him know to expect you. His name is Jasper Beaver and he is one stubborn cuss. I hate dealing with him but I think he'll help you."

"And you're not?" John chuckled, "Thanks Bobby. Anything at this point would be great."

John looked at his sleeping son. Dean had been going like a maniac for the past few years and it started to catch up with him. He looked, not just beat, but exhausted. His hunt for his baby brother was bordering on manic but John didn't know how to get him to slow down. After he told Dean about Bobby's information, Dean was halfway to the Impala with all his things in his hands. From past experience, John knew better than to even suggest that they start the trip the next morning. So he got his stuff and followed Dean to the car. Dean had wanted to drive, but there was no way that John would let him behind the wheel as tired as he was.

John smiled as he remembered the conversation after they got on the road.

"_Bobby thinks that Sam may have been rescued by a Manitou," John started._

"_What's a Manitou?" Dean questioned._

"_From what I understand the Manitou is a spirit. Bobby says that there really aren't any facts to go with the stories. He did give me the name of a shaman who knows about them though," John said._

"_How do we get Sammy away from a spirit? I mean, if we find him. What if this Manitou won't let him go? Do we kill it after it saved Sam's life?" Dean asked._

"_I don't know. We will just have to play it by ear. What I'm hoping is that Sam has been adopted by a nice family and is getting ready to settle down. That's my best case scenario. The worst is that Sam is some sort of monster that we may have to hunt."_

_Dean stiffened at that. Then he growled, "Nobody is going to kill Sam, no matter what. I'll kill anyone who hurts my brother."_

_John sighed. He knew that Dean was telling the truth and would kill the person who hurt Sam. If it came down to that, he knew a couple of hunters who could do the job and disappear before Dean was able to catch them. It wasn't a pleasant thought but it was one he kept on the back burner, just in case._

Chapter 2-The Legend

The Winchester men made the trip to Jasper Beaver's home in just 12 hours. They had broken all the speed laws to get there, mainly because Dean was so impatient to find his brother. After all these years, this was the most solid lead they had and he wanted to get there before he woke up and found that it was all just a bad dream. John had a hard time getting Dean to let him pull over for food. It was only when the Impala needed gas that Dean would begrudgingly let John stop for any length of time.

When they finally pulled into Beaver's driveway, Dean was practically jumping out of the car before John could put it in park. Dean ran up to the door and, making hurry up gestures to his father, he rang the doorbell.

The man who opened the door was bronze-skinned with a head of long black hair. His eyes were the bluest Dean had ever seen and they were twinkling with good humor. He stood at 6'3" and weighed around 185lbs., thin, but strong, judging by the muscles in his arms.

"Well," the man said gruffly, "I can guess who this young wolf is. Can't wait to find your littermate, can you?"

Dean was taken aback. Not only did this man really know who he was but why was he comparing him to a wolf? Dean didn't know that Jasper was able to see his spirit animal very clearly and he was slightly shaken. Usually one didn't find their spirit animal unless they went through the trials. Though when Jasper considered everything Bobby told him about Dean, he figured the young man had already gone through enough trials and the wolf became part of him.

John walked up behind his son. He studied the other man then held out his hand, "John Winchester and this is my son, Dean."

Jasper took his hand and shook it, "Jasper," he said briefly. He gestured for the Winchesters to follow him into his house.

Dean looked around the room. There was a large stone fireplace in the far wall. A rug covered the wooded floor and there was scant furniture. On the walls and on available surfaces, there were candles, herbs, and books. There were three doors, one leading to a kitchen, another leading to the bathroom and a third opening to a stairway going upstairs. The biggest thing that Dean noticed was that there weren't any salt lines or protective sigils.

Jasper watched the young man take in his home. He knew what was going on in Dean's mind. He had run into a lot of hunters who had offered to carve sigils into his home and who, when staying with him, would put salt lines down in the bedroom where they were staying. He always turned down the invitations, his house was protected, protections that were just not visible to the naked eye.

He turned to John and waved him down to sit on the couch. After offering the Winchesters something to eat or drink, which was turned down. He sat down and took some pictures out of his shirt pocket. He placed them on the coffee table in front of John and Dean. The two men stared at the images of a young man. They could see that he was tall and muscled like a runner. He had long brown hair and hazel eyes. In one picture, he was squatting on a rock by a river and fishing. In another he was picking some vegetation. Another picture showed him smiling, sitting on a boulder in a field. They saw the young man in other poses, doing a variety of chores. John was unsure if that young man was his son but Dean, seeing that smile, knew he had found Sam at last.

Jasper, watching the expressions of the two men, got up and lit the fireplace and a few candles. He put herbs on the fire in preparation of telling a tale. This was something he had learned from his father but wasn't really a common practice. The herbs were for protection, relaxation and reception. The herbs also called to the Manitou to listen.

When the atmosphere was perfect, Jasper turned back to his guests and sat down. He got out his pipe, stuffed it with tobacco and lit it. Sucking it, Jasper began his story:

_Before the white man came to this country, there were tribes of humans living with nature. Of the entire natural world there were none more powerful than the Manitou. Many just call them spirits because that is what they are. For the most part, they were good to the humans. If a hunter requested help with a hunt, a Manitou would help if asked correctly. If a woman asked for a child, a Manitou would bless her so she could have a child. This happened until the tribes started to war on each other. When violence came, the Manitou started to withdraw. They would still help, but not as much and not everyone who asked was helped._

_One day, two Manitou walked through a scene of horror. Many warriors had been killed and the women and children taken by a raiding party. As they looked at the carnage, they heard voices. They followed the voices until they found four small children who had been hidden by their mother. A desire to protect the children came over the Manitou. They gathered the children to them and flew them to a very safe place, deep in a sacred forest._

_After that, the Manitou started to listen to the voices of children, taking them to the sacred forest if they were abandoned. Then one day, an old shaman was found wandering in the forest. His whole tribe had been wiped out by the white man and the old man mourned his family. The Manitou took pity on the old man and brought him to their home which was filled with the children of those they had helped. These children were shy as deer and very innocent. The shaman fell in love with the children and offered to help the Manitou to make the children into a peaceful tribe that would always remember who helped them. _

_The Manitou were grateful and yet sad. They loved their children but knew they must grow up sometime. The old shaman became teacher and Grandfather to the children. He taught the children how to hunt, how to fish, how to gather food and how to make things. He taught them to always revere nature and the Manitou. In return, the Manitou made their land safe from all who would hurt their children and the shaman._

_Over the years, the Manitou returned to nature but kept their ears open to children's prayers. Any child abandoned would find that they would be taken and adopted by one of the tribe. This happened until there were too many children and the people started to take care of them themselves. _

_Until eighteen years ago. _

John and Dean sat up. Eighteen years ago? When Sam disappeared?

Chapter 3-Special

"Wh-what happened eighteen years ago?" gasped Dean.

"You need to understand that the Manitou hadn't been seen for around one hundred years. So when it was rumored that a child was found by them and brought back to the forest, I was shocked. A male child was found in a cabin that was attacked by a demon and they brought him home to keep him safe. A couple of years later, a female child was also brought here. Neither child was placed with a tribal member, like the legend says and very few people ever saw them.

"When Bobby called, I went out and took these pictures with a telephoto lens. You can't get close to either the male or female without them disappearing. And you will never find them far apart from each other. They are extremely protective of each other and will fight if threatened. Last year, we had a werewolf in the area. We think that it may have tried to kill the female because when we found the wolf we also found some a necklace that we know is hers under the creature. What was really disturbing was the condition of the body. Honestly, it looked as though it was put through a meat grinder. "

John went white. Was the young man a monster? Would he have to kill him and the female? He had seen the look on Dean's face when they were looking at the pictures and knew that Dean made up his mind that the pictures were showing his brother. Jasper was worried that the next bit of information may tip the man over and cause him to try to kill the children. It had to be done because the Winchesters needed to know the whole truth. Jasper took out more photographs and put them on the table with the others. These pictures showed the young man with a female in various poses, clearly tied to each other. But what was really shocking was that every time the young man looked at the woman, his eyes were deep purple. Jasper saw that the coloring was noted by Dean. Dean was not shocked but was curious.

"Why the change in eye color?" Dean asked.

"I think that the color changes depending on how they feel. Yeah, both of them do that. Her usual color is a hazel also. Purple shows love," another picture was put down, this time the young man had green eyes and was hunched over, "green is for pain and I think silver shows fear. There is talk that when they are angry, their eyes turn black but that is just speculation. Nobody has ever gotten close to them to make them that angry. I think that is rumored because that is the color of low-level demon eyes.

"Eye color isn't the only thing that is different about them. You need to see this," Jasper whispered as he pulled out the last photograph.

John's eyes went wide as he looked at the picture. In it, the man had the woman wrapped in his arms and _wings!_ Dean smiled. Only his little brother, whom he had thought of as an angel when they were little, would have wings that beautiful. The picture showed that the wings were a shimmering pale blue color with a dark blue outline. The feathers looked soft and invited touching.

"Can he fly?" Dean asked softly.

"Yeah, they both can. Her wings are a pale pink with a rose outline," Jasper answered. He was pleased with Dean's reactions but was very concerned with John's. Bobby had warned him that John only saw black and white when it came to the supernatural world. Jasper could see John shifting from concerned father to hunter and wanted to stop it. Unfortunately, there was more information that needed to be said that may tip John into hunter mode permanently.

"Usually when children were taken in by the Manitou, there had been no physical changes. Mental gifts, though, that's another thing. Some children developed telekinesis, others telepathy, others still had the gift of empathy. These two are unusually gifted. As well as telekinesis, telepathy, empathy, they also can heal with a touch. Physical gifts include eye color, wings, fangs, ability to change their shapes, strength, and speed."

"Fangs," John said in horror, "Like vampire?"

"No!" shouted Dean before Jasper could say anything, "Sam is not a monster, a freak! What he is is special! They both are!"

"You are right, Dean, they are special. And because they are, the Manitou kept them instead of adopting them out," Jasper said wearily, "I don't know why they developed their gifts but I do know that if hunters found out about them, they would be hunted and killed or made to kill the hunters to protect themselves. It would destroy them and that can't be allowed." Jasper looked John in the eye when he said the last part. John hung his head, knowing that he had been so easily read by this stranger.

Jasper looked at Dean. How right he was in identifying Dean's spirit animal. The Wolf was protective, territorial, and loving. Dean was all three. Jasper could see the wolf outline in Dean's face and demeanor. When the Manitou were told of the Winchesters' search for the youngest, they said that one would come and be part of their world. He would be instrumental in keeping the children safe and would eventually join their family. With that joining, an ancient power would rise again and the Graces born in human bodies would awaken. The three of them would be a force to be reckoned with. Jasper could already feel Dean's gifts waking up. He could see the shadow of wings on the young man's back and see the shift of color in his green eyes. Jasper was awed by the fact the changes started before Dean had even met Samuel.

It was the bond that made Dean search for Sam for years, no matter how cold the trail was, that jump-started his awakening. This was the bond that was forged when 3 year old Dean felt his brother move in their mother. The bond that was strengthened when John had Dean carry Sam out of the burning house and became Sam's whole world until that fateful night when Sam was taken from Dean.

Chapter 4-Meeting

_Samuel sighed as he rolled into Kara. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her scent. Father and Uncle teased him about being a cuddler but he couldn't help himself, the love he felt for Kara was deep and awe-inspiring. The time he spent in her arms or with his arms around her was nothing short of heavenly. _

_He felt her shift and smiled to himself. Every morning they woke up this way and it never got tiring. He knew that in a couple of minutes, she would wake up and turn over. They would kiss then proceed with the rest of their routine of cuddling and loving. It would continue until Father knocked on their door for breakfast. After breakfast, the family would get ready for the day, whether they were hunting, gardening, studying or training. They would break for lunch around noon and then continue with their activities. Dinner would be after dark and they may have a guest or three afterwards. Samuel thought his life was complete. Almost. _

_There was something that was missing in his life. Had been since he was very little but every time he tried to remember, he became terrified and would have nightmares. The only things he could remember from his nightmares were yellow eyes and blood._

Dean quietly got out of bed and walked across the room. Last night, Jasper had whispered a warning that the floor squeaked in spots and you needed to tread softly. After dressing, Dean left the room, making sure to not disturb the salt line and closed the door. He didn't want his dad to wake up too soon and find him. Dean had seen the way John reacted to the photos and Jasper's stories. He was afraid that John would try to shoot first before finding out if Sam was evil. In Dean's mind, only evil should be killed, not those who are just different and maybe supernatural. He wasn't stupid though. He knew that if the situation was different, he may have felt that all supernatural creatures should be killed like John did, but that wasn't him.

Dean made his way down the stairs and found a surprise. A thermos of coffee sat next to a backpack full of food, water, a map, a compass, and a sat phone. On top of the pile was a note with coordinates and good wishes for him to have good luck with his meeting. The note also said that he needed to be patient with Sam since the young man hadn't seen him in 18 years and would be nervous. Dean picked up the coffee and backpack and, with a deep breath, opened the door to take the first step that would lead him to his destiny.

The early morning was cool and dew glistened on the leaves and grass. The air itself smelled green and clean. It was as if the whole world was celebrating the reunion of the Winchester Brothers and Dean was happy for the first time in years. Instead of hearing rumors of his brother, he was going to see him. Dean resolved in his heart that they would never be parted again, even in death. The sunrise he was seeing seemed to agree with that plan.

Every so often, he would stop to check the map or take a drink of water. He had been walking for a couple of hours before he reached the clearing that was marked on the map. It was a small clearing with a large, flat stone in the middle. Dean took a deep breath and smelled the sweet scent of meadowsweet and wild sage. It was a beautiful, cleansing scent that he reveled in.

He went to the rock and started to unpack the backpack. He set out the food and water then waited for his brother to come to him. It didn't take too long before he heard the almost silent footsteps coming up behind him. Remembering the note, Dean sat very still and waited for Sam to come to him.

_It was a surprise for Samuel to see a male sitting on the rock in the middle of the meadow. His Father made it clear that Samuel should go to the meadow today. He had told Samuel that something from his past would be found there. Samuel observed the male who sat quietly. He was a bit older and had sandy brown hair. From this distance, the male looked well-muscled and strong. There was an air of anticipation around him that was strangling a previous feeling of hopelessness and despair. Reaching out with his mind, Sam could feel no ill intent towards himself and Kara. Quite the opposite, in fact. The young male was filled with love and hope. When Sam touched his mind, he was shocked to see that the male was thinking of a child and how much the male missed the child. He could feel the male's pride in HIM and love for HIM! Sam didn't understand how a complete stranger could have these feelings for him but it was there in the male's mind and heart. A soft whisper caressed Samuel's mind, "Hey baby brother. Do you remember me? I'm Dean. God, I've been looking for you for years and I don't want to let you go now. Please come out and let me see you."_

_Using his other senses, Samuel checked out the meadow for any kind of danger. All that he could find was the male on the rock. Cautiously, he walked out of the line of trees and crossed the field until he reached the rock._

Dean listened as the footsteps came closer. He had been holding his breath when he sent that thought out to Sam, hoping that it would reach his brother. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned around and for the first time in eighteen years, he looked in his brother's eyes.

Chapter 5-Awakening

Sam felt complete for the first time in years. When he looked into the male's eyes, it was like he had come home after a long absence, it was Heaven. Without being asked, he motioned to Kara to approach. Dean's eyes went wide as he saw the girl who was with his brother. She was small and had dark brown hair with gold and silver highlights. But it was the look of complete trust and love that really floored him and the fact that Sam actually was okay with her being out in the open with a man who was a stranger to him.

"Oh God, Sammy! I missed you so much," began Dean, "that I never stopped looking for you. Dad would say that I was completely insane because I couldn't stop." Tears gathered in his eyes and they changed color to a deeper green with a dark blue outline around the iris. Sam saw his pain and wrapped his arms and wings around Dean, his _brother! _ Kara also saw Dean's distress and also hugged him. With both Sam and Kara wrapped around him, Dean gave into the luxury of tears, something he never did before. He cried for the loss of the years with his brother, the pain of living a life that didn't have Sam in it, and the sheer relief of finding Sam alive and well. Sam and Kara went into healing mode and started to glow as they felt their Graces touch and heal Dean. Dean's Grace responded in full. It fully woke up to the gentle ministrations and sent back love.

When they finally broke the group hug, Sam reached behind Dean and started to stroke the beautiful wings that had appeared on his brother's back. They were magnificent, sea-green with a dark green outline. Dean shivered under his brother's touch but didn't question why he felt that way. Then Kara reached up and touched his wings gently. Dean looked into his brother's eyes and reached up to kiss him. Sam smiled then turned his head to kiss Kara. She completed the circuit by kissing Dean. With the kisses completing the bond, the ancient power of the three Graces rose up and awoke fully.

sssssssss

Gordon Walker was hunting a Wendigo he had heard was in the area. It was out of his usual hunting pattern but he wanted a change. Besides, he was having a very hard time finding his normal prey-vampires, and was getting bored. And every hunter who knew him would tell you that besides being crazy, a bored Walker wasn't something you wanted around. He had a tendency to pick fights and trash the places he was at. Many bars and roadhouses had given him a lifetime ban due to his little habit. So when the Wendigo was learned of, Gordon was delighted. He did his research and found that they liked to drag their victims to a hole in the ground and eat them. They were extremely fast and could only be killed by fire.

When he felt that he was sufficiently versed in Wendigo, Gordon went to the camp of the last victim and started tracking. This camp was a few miles north of a small village that was rumored to actually be descended from a Native American tribe. Gordon actually planned on checking out the village after the hunt since many of the residents seemed to be supernatural in nature and Gordon hated anything supernatural. He felt that the whole world would be better off if there was no supernatural beings in it and he had made it his business to see that those beings were eradicated.

After a couple of hours tracking the Wendigo, Gordon came upon a small meadow. As he stood in the tree line, he saw three winged beings in the center. He grinned as he raised his rifle, the one that had the silver bullets; four supernatural creatures were going to die! As his finger tightened on the trigger, he felt a barrel of a gun on the back of his head.

"Take your finger off that trigger and lower your rifle slowly," growled John. When Gordon did what he was told, John said, "Now turn around."

Gordon turned around to face his ambusher. "Well, well, well. As I live and breathe, John Winchester. Where's your kid, Winchester? Ya know that obsessed little freak you raised."

John's face showed his rage as he tightened his grip on his gun. Then with a snarl, John hit Gordon with the butt of his gun and watched as the man hit the ground with blood spurting out of his nose. "My sons are NOT freaks," John said in a dangerous tone. Gordon's eyes went wide as he heard the word sons, plural. Not son.

Gordon had heard of Dean's obsession with finding his baby brother and, like most of the rest of the hunters, thought Dean had gone off the deep end and John was just humoring the boy. It got real serious after Dean had beaten the hunters who failed to report rumors. Now the consensus was that Dean was even more dangerous and crazy than Gordon himself. It seemed, as Gordon stared at John, daddy Winchester was just as dangerous and crazy as his kid. He wondered what changed; the last he had heard was that John saw things in black and white when it came to the supernatural world.

What he didn't know was that John spent the whole night thinking of his sons. Especially Sam and the changes he went through. He knew that Dean accepted his brother no matter what and would sneak out in the morning to find him. If it meant leaving John, Dean would stay with Sam. It hurt John's heart to realize that bit of truth but he knew that the bond between the brothers would not allow for any more separation. Then he thought of Sam. He remembered the day Mary told him she was pregnant with their second child and how ecstatic he had been. He remembered when she died and the only thing that kept him from killing himself was the boys. Every time Sam reached one of his mile markers, John floated in happiness. Even if Sam's first word was Dean, his second was daddy. John smiled so much that day, his face hurt for a week. He had been shattered the day his baby went missing, just as much as Dean had been. Now he had a choice to make: accept Sam as he was or to lose both boys. It wasn't until he heard Dean sneak out of the bedroom that he made up his mind, he would accept his son. He had followed Dean to the meadow and watched as the brothers were reunited and Dean was changed. Tears welled in his eyes as he watched the beauty of the rebirth of the Graces and was healed from all his hurts.

As the two men stared at each other, a sound of wings echoed in the forest. Gordon's eyes went even wider as he saw two men standing behind John. One of them closest to John put his hand on the gun and gently lowered John's arm. The other stared at Gordon with venom in his eyes.

The man near John looked at his companion and said, "Gabriel, we can't kill him even if he did threaten the children. It is not our place to do so."

"Why not?" whined the other man, Gabriel. "Castiel, he was going to kill them, or at least try to." Then he thought of something, "We may not be able to kill him but what about making sure he never hurts anyone again?"

Castiel grinned wickedly. He knew what Gabriel had in mind. "Just make sure he has supplies to last him brother. Not like the last time…I had to rescue that poor man from the ice!"

"You're no fun," pouted Gabriel as he snapped his fingers. When John looked down, Gordon was nowhere to be found.

"Where, where is he?" stuttered John.

"Antarctica," replied Castiel, "We need to talk, John. Let's get the children and go to our home. Everything will be explained there and you will be given a choice."

The three men exited the tree line and walked over to the children. When Dean noticed John, he stepped slightly in front of Sam and Kara, protecting them. John saw the move and approved. He knew that it would be a very long time before Dean let Sam out of his sight and, since the move also included the girl, she wouldn't be left alone either. The two men with him also noticed the move and just rolled their eyes in amusement.

When they arrived, Gabriel said, "Let's pack up this picnic and go home. There are a lot of things we need to talk about and here is just not a good place for it."

Sam grinned at Gabriel and answered, "Okay Father. Are we going to walk or fly?"

Castiel answered with his own grin, "Can't keep you out of the air, can we?" He laughed at the trio of puppy dog eyes aimed his way and said, "All right! Let's fly but try not to scare the wildlife. The last time you two started a stampede!"

Sam huffed then laughed at the memory. "Come on Dean, we'll show you the way!" With that the three Graces spread their wings and took off. For a beginner, Dean was flying as if he had done it all his life. John watched in awe then felt a hand on his shoulder. With that, he found himself flying in the arms of Gabriel.

Chapter 6-Explanations

John looked around the lavish room. It was warm and filled with comfortable furniture. The food that Dean had brought with him was spread on the floor and was served with wine to celebrate the completion of their family. Dean and John sat with Sam between them. They wanted to keep their youngest as close as possible. Kara had laughed at the look of confusion on Sam's face when his father and brother pulled him down and kept a hand on him as if he would disappear. Gabriel and Castiel kept up a running patter of jokes and laughter rang out in the house.

After they had eaten, Gabriel got serious. "John, Dean what we are going to tell you isn't known to any except for eight beings in Heaven and Earth. Part of the reason is because of a prophecy and the rest is to protect the family."

John was intrigued. Gabriel continued, "At the dawn of mankind, an Angel came to earth and fell in love with two young females. One was the daughter of Abel and the other was the daughter of Cain. He took the women to a special place and made them his wives. After a few years, each woman gave birth to a daughter. The Angel had given a piece of his Grace to each daughter in celebration of their lives and the family lived happily for a few more years until the wives died. He was heartbroken and wanted to go Home but he didn't want to leave his daughters unprotected, so he asked a brother to guard and watch them. This brother, after a while, fell in love with the sisters and took them for wives. They too gave birth to a daughter each and died after a few years. He had carried on the tradition and gave a piece of his Grace to his daughters. He wanted to make sure his daughters would be happy in love so he introduced them to a brother he loved. This Angel took these sisters for wives and after a few years, they gave birth to their own daughters, one each.

"When his daughters were of marriageable age, God had become angry with men and vowed to destroy the world except for one family. The Angel begged his Father to save his daughters and was allowed to marry them to one of Noah's sons. Before the Angel went Home, he infused a bit of his Grace in his daughters. They were saved and lived to have many children by their husband. Out of these children came two great families, the Campbells and the Winchesters. Here's where the prophecy comes in: out of these families would arise a great and ancient power called the Graces. It would be born to three humans that would become Protectors of the Earthly Realm. You, John and your wife Mary were destined to give life to two of the Graces. Kara's father and mother are actually your distant cousins. Her father was cousin to Mary and her mother was cousin to you."

John was stunned. He had heard some tales from his grandmother that Angels were part of his bloodline but had assumed that it was just a fairy tale. He knew that Mary told the boys that Angels were watching over them but thought it was just something a mother would say to soothe her child. Now he knew differently. He had a few questions and started asking, "Why do only a few Angels know about this?"

Castiel answered, "Do you know about the Nephilim? They were the children of Angels and humans. It was because of some corrupted Nephilim that caused the wholesale slaughter of those children. The three Angels involved with the great families went to God and asked for help in keeping their children safe. God wiped the memories of these children from the minds of all Angels except for five."

"Who, who are the Angels who…are…our patriarchs?" John stuttered.

Surprisingly, it was Sam who answered, "The first was Gideon, the second was Micah, and the third was Gabriel." John paled and looked at Gabriel who smiled and waved. Sam went on oblivious to the drama, "Gideon and Micah are fun to be around. They said that they would be coming to dinner tomorrow and I can't wait. Some of the stories they tell are fantastic! Though it can be a little dangerous when the three of them start to play jokes on each other. The last time, Cas ended up being turned into a purple kitten!"

Dean started to laugh at the thought of a purple kitten with wings. Kara smiled then laughed at the memory and it went downhill from there until they all were laughing. Finally, they quieted and Gabriel decided to ask his question.

"We know that Jasper had told you about how we started the village by taking in orphaned children and how we found someone to teach our children. It's been too long since we had a teacher for our children and we would like you to be part of our family and teach the children how to stay human. You would be the new Grandfather."

John was sure that the Angels would ask him to leave and never come back. He never expected them to ask him to stay and be a part of his sons' lives. He had made up his mind last night to accept Sam for Dean's sake. Now, as he looked around at his newly revealed family, he knew that he would stay for the love of them. "Yes," he said.

sssssssssss

Sam, Dean, and Kara approached the old mine entrance cautiously. The Wendigo was in there getting ready to eat the campers who were unlucky to be in its hunting area. The plan was simple enough: go in and find the campers, protect said campers if they are still alive, kill the Wendigo. But, like all plans, it could still go pear shaped.

The first part went well, they indeed found the campers. Only one was still alive but hurt badly. Kara immediately released the camper and started to heal him. Sam stood by her in protection mode while Dean scanned the area to find the trail of the Wendigo. What they didn't know was that there were two monsters instead of one. A mated pair with the female in heat. Scenting other males in its territory, the male Wendigo went crazy and rushed the brothers. The male jumped between the brothers and slashed at Dean with its claws, gouging a three inch long stripe on Dean's chest. He grunted then ducked as the other set of claws swiped at his head. Sam came up behind the male and put his hands on the Wendigo's back. His hands glowed and the Wendigo caught on fire. Meanwhile the female rushed to defend her mate. Dean saw her coming and raised his flare gun to shoot. His shot caught her in the middle of her chest and she died in flames.

Sam went to his brother and put a hand on the gash. It healed quickly and cleanly. "Too bad I didn't have this power in other hunts," quipped Dean, smiling. "It would have been real useful the time Dad and I fought a black dog. Dad had to have at least 100 stitches and I had a broken arm."

Sam smiled. It was a good hunt with just the one injury and that was something he would have to live with. He would rather there had been no injuries but with that one percent of uncertainty in all hunts, there would be a chance of someone getting hurt. All they could do was to try to keep it down to a minimum. "Let's go home," he said, with an arm around Kara and a wing around his brother. Dean nodded and, with the camper between them, the three hunters gracefully lifted off and flew towards home. When they got there, they let Castiel take the camper to the hospital to be checked out, after modifying his memories of course. John asked for a detailed report of the hunt and Gabriel checked them over for more injuries. All in all, it was deemed very successful and the victory was celebrated over pie and cake that Gideon brought over.

Epilogue-Wyoming

Jake Talley stood in front of the Devil's Gate with the colt in his hand. He had won the battles at Cold Oaks and killed Ava to be the one who would lead Azazel's army. Just as he was going to put the colt in the gate's lock, three people walked up to him. "You can't stop me!" Jake snarled.

The tall male just smirked and held out his hand. The colt began to glow red hot and Jake dropped it. The female with them waved her hand and the colt flew to the hands of the smaller male. Jake growled and ran to the smaller male, intent on retrieving the colt when the female stood between them and touched his head. Incredible pain lanced through his skull and Jake dropped to the ground unconscious.

"Thanks Kara," said the smaller male.

"No problem, Dean," she smiled. Noticing the taller male's attention was on the tree line, Kara asked, "Sam, what's up?"

Sam didn't answer but gestured to the colt. Dean's eyebrows went up but he said nothing as the colt went to Sam's hands. Sam aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. A flash of light showed Dean and Kara that a demon had been killed and not just any demon; it was the Yellow Eyed Demon who had killed their mother and tried to kill Sam. Dean went over to the corpse and kicked it with all the anger he felt at the thing that wrecked their lives. Kara put a calming hand on Dean's arm and said, "It's okay, he's dead now. Let's salt and burn this body and go home. Grandfather is going to want to know what happened and I'm a bit tired."

"You okay?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah, just the babies are making me a bit tired that's all."

Sam came over and put his arms around Kara. Ever since they found out she was pregnant, the brothers were very protective of her. They didn't like that she went on the hunts with them but she refused to be left at home. Besides, she argued, there is safety in numbers. They couldn't argue with her, especially when she turned the puppy dog eyes on them.

They finished the job by salting the corpse before setting it on fire and dropped Jake off at the hospital. He wouldn't remember anything and his powers were gone. Then they went home. Dean insisted on driving since he didn't want Kara to strain herself. It would be some time before they got back to one anxious grandfather, three worried many times great grandfathers, and an uncle who would be crawling up the walls by now. Probably literally, knowing Cas.

The Graces knew they would be hunting again soon but that's what they did: protect the people of Earth. But for now, they would take a break to fly, run, swim, and just have fun. They would be human.

I learned about Manitous from Wikipedia. All the rest is out of my own imagination.

Many thanks to my beta reader, Daiyu Amaya. You're great kiddo!


End file.
